Comments on: The Ichiro problemhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/
Baseball. Baseball. And then a bit more baseball.Sat, 10 Dec 2016 01:07:23 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.com/By: anxovieshttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495990
Mon, 20 May 2013 11:52:53 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495990They been feeding you sour grapes?
]]>By: genericcommenterhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495600
Sat, 18 May 2013 23:37:17 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-4956003000 seems like a real long-shot, unless he’s going to hang on as a part-time player 5 years into his 40s like Omar Vizquel. The biggest reason he even has a chance at 3000 hits at this point is because he swings at everything. If he gets 3000 with the Yankees, that’s a bad thing because it means they sucked enough to be able to give him that many at-bats. At this rate he would have to play 2 more full-time seasons after this one. Is there even a team in baseball that has a spot for a 40 year-old who only gets on base 28% of the time and has zero power.

Oh, this also reminds me of all the comments here during the Winter and all the downvotes I got from commenters who said the Yankees needed someone like Ichiro who “gets on base” and not a guy who hits a lot of home-runs with a OPS 200 points higher..When this guy hasnt gotten on base in 3 years.

]]>By: bigmeechy74http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495535
Sat, 18 May 2013 19:24:55 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495535Yeah I know. THey are winning again today. The immortal David Phelps is pitching a gem. Why wouldn’t he?
]]>By: bigmeechy74http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495534
Sat, 18 May 2013 19:24:03 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495534Yeah I understand that but a perfect example is today Phelps is dominating again. If this entire squad switched uniforms with the mariners or twins etc they would be 10 games under .500. I mean look at the rays pitching staff then look at the yankees. How on earth do the yankees pitch better??? Culture doesn’t explain pitching and hitting. I mean vernon wells? Lyle overbay? Serious?
]]>By: louhudson23http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495529
Sat, 18 May 2013 19:03:21 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495529Simple answer is the game is played by baseball players on a field,not by digital computations on a spreadsheet….keep in mind that the Yankees have sucked(relatively) for(relatively) long periods of time in the mid 60’s to mid 70’s and again through much of the 80’s with no pixie dust in sight …..but a winning culture exists by infecting those who breathe it and suddenly see and feel the game in different way…….you can’t quantify the human spirit or capability…..or foresee the end result of a long season of baseball ……best to enjoy it while it happens and know that the game is still the best thing about baseball…….
]]>By: ghstmnnfrsthttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495507
Sat, 18 May 2013 18:17:29 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495507How much of Ichiro’s lack of “clubhouse chemistry” and leadership could be attributed to ambivalence bred from a lack of winning culture and general ineptitude of the front office to put a winning product on the field the last several years?

Back when he first came to the States and a couple years after, the team won and things were kosher. Several terrible trades and losing seasons later, everything (including Ichiro) was different. His treatment toward the end of his Seattle tenure was mostly justified, but is it that big of a leap to conclude that his move to New York and the difference in his attitude might be rooted in a strong underlying desire for a ring?

Egos aside, he is a professional competitor. He is a lead off hitter and always has been. It’s a joke that in Seattle he was batting third with little to no help in the lineup. I think he knew it and played his way out.

I’m not saying that’s completely the right thing to do in that situation, but I can hardly blame him.

]]>By: vallewhohttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495496
Sat, 18 May 2013 17:33:23 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495496I think the boat from Seattle has sailed….last summer in fact. I can understand that Ichiro wants to get 3K hits in MLB, but at this point it’s just a question of whether his desire to get there is greater than his pride. By all accounts, Ichiro is all about honor, so I don’t know if his willing to toil 2 more years as a role player just to get there. In my view, he has nothing else to prove. He’s one of the best ever to play the game. Anywhere.
]]>By: 18thstreethttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495418
Sat, 18 May 2013 14:31:46 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495418I’m saying this as a somewhat bitter Red Sox fan (not that bitter, because my team’s doing so much better than I expected). But, really, how are they doing it? Have they played a weak schedule so far?

Pitching, defense, whatever — that lineup, outside of Cano, has a bunch of role players. I don’t understand it at all. And the runs have to come from somewhere. Cano is not that good a hitter to explain it.

Question: does Ichiro have value as a platoon player/defensive replacement/etc.? Because, in the best case scenario, a player with very limited skills can still be VERY useful. In that scenario, you’ve traded for Dave Roberts.

]]>By: ballparkprintshttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495413
Sat, 18 May 2013 14:24:28 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495413He’s good for business, we don’t know what the Japanese TV media is paying the Yankees for broadcasting rights. I also see Japanese tourist at the games (I have a 41 game plan) I go to. Baseball is a business and in the end it comes down to $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, not what we the fans think
]]>By: cktaihttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495402
Sat, 18 May 2013 14:03:33 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495402Actually, the Yankees pitching and defense has been pretty good. Their RA/9 is the second lowest of the entire AL. Meanwhile, in scoring runs, they rank below average. In this case, it really is defense and pitching that helps the Yankees win. Just don’t ask me how.
]]>By: jdrew506http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495401
Sat, 18 May 2013 14:02:52 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495401Doesn’t really matter what works for you or doesn’t work for you. The fact of the matter is most people have been saying the same thing about the Yankees for the last 5-10 years yet they keep on being one of the best teams in baseball each and every year. People will say yet are not cause they don’t win the series every year however most teams, owner, manager would probably sell their souls to have the history and attitude that the Yankees bring to the game. Most people who claim to know the game predicted the Yankees to be really bad this year coming in 3rd to last place and Toronto to come in first, and all we heard on here before the season was Doom for the Yankees. Wonder where those people are now…
]]>By: cackalackyankhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495394
Sat, 18 May 2013 13:56:34 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495394I think the more honorable thing would be to see if Seattle would take him with some cash for Ibanez or another older player, this way Ichiro ends his MLB career as a Mariner.
]]>By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutragedhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495384
Sat, 18 May 2013 13:39:15 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495384He’s making $6.5M a year, and this year would be prorated so even less. Combine that with the Yanks possibly picking up some/half the salary, so you’d pay about $3M a year. That’s a lot?
]]>By: bigmeechy74http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495373
Sat, 18 May 2013 13:12:54 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495373First of all… that’s nonsense. Hitting is every bit as important. But that’s not the point. Do you think the Yankees are a great defensive team? Or do you think there pitching staff is great? They have CC (who is losing velocity), a 41 year old guy, a 38 year old guy (who is quite good I admit), an over-hyped as a prospect hughes, and then…. David Phelps? Ivan Nova? What’s your point? And Why do you think the Yankees are a better defensive team than almost any other team in MLB? Just saying a cliche “pitching and defense” without thinking or backing it up doesn’t work for me. Sorry.
]]>By: stellabrockhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495363
Sat, 18 May 2013 12:13:55 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495363I’m sure you weren’t complaining when he was batting .280 last week. But no because he’s in a slump for acouple games, that means he’ll have a bad year.
]]>By: pauljgoffhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495360
Sat, 18 May 2013 11:17:08 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495360Pitching and defense. It’s been the formla for winning since the game was invented
]]>By: bigmeechy74http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495356
Sat, 18 May 2013 10:24:52 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495356Everything works out for the Yankees so it doesn’t really matter. They just keep screwing up the draft, keep giving out bad contracts, and are injury plagued. Doesn’t matter. They will just have one of their 38 year olds dominate for no reason. Just like how they pick up retreads like Lyle Overbay and vernon wells (who had the worst on base % of any corner outfielder in over 100 years in 2011 and wasn’t much better in 2012) and they are great FOR NO REASON. While other teams have been acquiring young talent and waiting for them to develop, the yankees just keep getting older and less talented but they still win. It’s so annoying. Basically their lineup is Cano and a bunch of garbage with a staff of a bunch of 38 year old guys that can’t hit 90 on the radar gun and they ARE 10 GAMES OVER .500!!!!! HOW?????
]]>By: henryd3rdhttp://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495354
Sat, 18 May 2013 09:31:12 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495354Let’s not leave out Josh Hamilton and Hanley Ramairez’ contract
]]>By: mustang6984http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/05/17/the-ichiro-problem/#comment-495347
Sat, 18 May 2013 07:33:57 +0000http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=442891#comment-495347No one will want him now, not with his salary. He’s on borrowed time.
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